To think that "we require a 5 year job history with no gaps"

[PyongyangKipperbang]

is effectively saying "We dont want anyone with young kids"?

And it will disproportionately affect women who are usually the ones who give up work for a few years when the kids are little?

I had a huge employment gap from March 2009 until January 2016 but I have always been truthful that I was at home with my two daughters. It has never been an issue.
I think that you can add it in as that is what you were doing at that time, you haven't left a gap!

I have had to give a complete job history with no gaps before. A real pain as they needed me to go back 15 years and give exact dates day and month!
It’s usually because the job involves contact with potentially vulnerable people. (apparently it’s really normal in things like teaching, social work, care homes and so on.) they don’t mind gaps due to travel, maternity unemployment etc. They just want to be able to check you haven’t left employment “under a cloud” or spent time at her majesty's expense.

You just need to account for all the time, as PP said, maternity leave, looking after kids etc. Just no blanks.

Oh my word! Not everything is discrimination!

I am 54 years old and every job I've ever gone for since leaving school (quite a lot) has wanted at least 5 years - some just say ‘full’ work history and qualifications - in which case they even get my CSE in pottery from school! I’ve had lots of gaps, although never for long. My longest employment was as a lorry driver.

You will always find discrimination if you’re looking for it. If you find it, it’s not subtle - it will hit you in the face. So if you’re wondering it if it - it probably isn’t!

We want a full employment history even if it’s 30 years. We ask for no unexplained gaps. A woman having two or five years off at a time that would correlate with her child bearing age wouldn’t raise an eyebrow.
A year gap for a man who was ‘travelling’ in his forties would draw additional questions.

I’m in HR and in the company I work it basically means can you tell me in detail what you have been doing for the last 5 years for work and if you took mat leave then just say exactly that or maybe you were unemployed between year 2 and 3, then simply provide an explanation about why you were unemployed. Unless if they are specifically require 5 years experience minimum then it shouldn’t be a problem if you have gaps in between as long you can account for them I’m not sure if that makes sense

@PyongyangKipperbang

is effectively saying "We dont want anyone with young kids"?

And it will disproportionately affect women who are usually the ones who give up work for a few years when the kids are little?

why would you give up work when the kids are little? mat leave doesn't show up on your cv and when you go back, even part-time you would still have a continuous working history. YABU

A complete work history is a legal requirement for recruitment into many aspects of social care. Having managed recruitment in this sector it was acceptable for the gaps to be explained as travel, family etc and generally didn’t effect a recruitment decision. We were audited on these checks as part of our CQC inspection on safer recruitment and as long as we had explanations all was well. The purpose of the history is to satisfy the test of ‘good character’ and to help in identifying potential risks, there were just as many male candidates with gaps as women.

Oh and we had to obtain ‘full’ work history too not just 5 years. That becomes much more complicated the longer someone has been in employment!

I would take that to mean

"So, what have you been doing these past five years? Tell us everything"

I was told to ensure my role as a full-time mother was at the top of my CV, when started and finish date, continuing

I was told no one else could respect the work as a mom if I didn't respect myself for it.

Never done my CV any harm at all. Infact its helped it I've been told

It's not unreasonable but it might not necessarily be what you think either. I work in care and we legally have to investigate gaps in employment, SAHM, career break etc are perfectly acceptable reasons to have a gap. Also by telling us what you were doing, e.g. SAHM - it's no longer a gap. I can see why it's important too, I recently interviewed someone and was going through the gaps in employment and found that the gap was due to being at her majesty' s pleasure for 2 years.....

@istheresomethingishouldknow

I think it's particularly shit for people who have been made redundant. Especially now, in a pandemic.

I had this when I was made redundant 8'years ago.

Can't remember exactly why they needed the full history, something about being listed in America and requiring employees to have a full history for US requirements (even though I'd never go there)

They were happy with registered with job centre looking for a job!

Gosh, I’m amazed that you could be asked for tickets to prove that you travelled - not a chance I would have kept those! (Unless I had emails, I suppose, but definitely not if it was paper tickets.)

I had to take a two year break for breast cancer treatment so I feel excluded when applications ask this, and stupidly embarrassed if it asks for a reason for the break.

I haven't read the thread but I think it is discrimination against women. We're more likely to be domestic abuse victims and many abusers stop their wives or partners from working. Meaning a large employment gap.
It also discriminates against disabled people who've been unable to work when ill. They then can't get another job once recovering or getting their condition under control because of having an employment gap.

Where I work it also means no gaps as in, no gaps in your history on the form. So if you worked 2015-2017 and then don't put anything else that's not acceptable; however 2015-2017 worked at x, 2017-2020 SAHM is fine.

Do they mean no gaps as in no time between jobs or no gaps as in all time accounted for even if you put 2018-2020 took time out to focus on family.

I would assume the latter.

The airports ask for a 5 year checkable work (or education) history which is understandable but if you were a stay at home mum for a few years then I don't think would be able to check this. So that would be discriminatory to women I suppose. Though it must be for security reasons if you're working in an airport.

It really does mean no gaps in your descriptions. NOT no job changes or periods not working.

eg. good =
yr 1 Shop job
yr 2 Maternity leave
yr 3 admin job (fixed term)
3mths Looking for new job /volunteering
rest of yr 4 - present Current job

NOT
yr 1 Macdonalds
yr 3 Yodel driver
with unexplained blanks

If it really came down to haveing to prove you'd been a SAHP (e.g. for a high security job) then I expect a reference from a teacher/health visitor etc would back it up.

@NotMeNoNo Not in my case. The first half of my SAHP years were spent living abroad - on a spouse visa so no paid work, and no 'ticket stubs' (like that's even a thing these days). Second half of it in this country but we never had a health visitor as DS was five when we moved back, and his school only have the vaguest idea about our family or what I do. I’m quite a private person, and tbh we haven't made many contacts around here who would be able to vouch for me. I certainly don't discuss my personal circumstances with teachers or HCPs!

I would really struggle to find anyone who could provide such a reference, unless I got an old friend who happens to have a 'responsible' job to pretend that they knew me in an official capacity rather than a personal one. Even then, I think some of my friends aren't fully aware of my situation and I'd have to spell out to them what I wanted them to say. In which case, what would be the point? It proves absolutely nothing!

This thread, and the other one about CVs, are honestly just cementing what I already suspected - that the corporate world and I are just not a good fit for one another. My life history simply doesn't gel with most people's expectations and I always end up tying myself in knots trying to make it look 'normal' on forms. This has never bothered me before but it's starting to make me despair of ever being employable again, when the scope of available work has suddenly become so much more limited.

It seems like retraining or self employment are the only answers for me, but I’m just so damn tired and was hoping to be able to pursue a less stressful (and expensive!) path tbh! 😔

It doesn’t mean you have to have been in employment for the last five years. It means tell us what you have been doing/where you have been working for the last five years and don’t leave any time gaps.

It gets on my nerves.

Of course I haven’t spent time in prison. That’s what the DBS is for.

@turquoise50 I think you're being a bit pessimistic.

I was just speculating what people could do in the extremely unusual circumstances of having to verify they were an SAHP but to be honest I've never heard of that happening. Like a PP said, a woman of parenting age is unlikely to be doubted about spending time as a SAHP.

Employers want to try and assess if you are suitable for a job though and you have to give them something to go on.